The Four Scenes of Destiny
by Mirage352
Summary: "You have two choices. One is to stay the course. This is the easy road, but it is the path to defeat. The other is to fight for victory for all. This is a thorny path, but it is the path of Kings." Four important scenes from Suikoden II told in Riou's POV. Rated T for future chapters.


Hey all!

So I've decided to name this piece "The Four Scenes of Destiny" (as a pun on the Stars of Destiny). I actually just finished Suikoden II for the first time a few weeks ago, and starting writing this fic as a tribute. My goal for this story is basically to outline the four scenes in Suikoden II that I found had the most meaning with respect to Nanami, Jowy and Riou's relationship. These will all be told from Riou's perspective. This scene specifically was taken from when Nanami, Pilika and Riou are waiting on Jowy to return when he is captured by Rowd(Head of the Unicorn Youth Brigade) - using himself as bait so that Riou could escape unharmed. Enjoy!

**Waiting For Jowy**

"Riou...should you be here?"

Leona gazes at me from behind the bar, her sharp green eyes seemingly softened with concern.

"….Go and stay with her."

_Nanami._ I knew who she was referring to without having to ask. As I turn to leave I stop to crouch in front of Pilika, who was standing about a foot away.

I could see pure sadness in her expression and I felt a slight twinge, almost like a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I could have asked her tag along with me, but my conscience seemed to say that it wasn't a good idea. I left the tavern after giving her a small smile to reassure her, re-entering the busy side streets of Muse.

I thought about the previous discussion I'd had with Lady Annabelle, Vitkor and Jess as I made my way to the outskirts of the city.

Whether or not it had been ideal for Jess to send us out as spies to infiltrate Rowd's camp was kind of irrelevant; I couldn't see why Viktor and Flik had been so worked up about it. What mattered was the fact that Muse could now prepare itself against Highland.

The only problem was no one but Nanami, Flik, Viktor and myself seemed to be worried about Jowy's current situation.

Jowy.

Recalling our former training with the Unicorn Youth Brigade - whenever Jowy and I sparred he wasn't physically stronger than I was - that was the truth. He made up for that in skill - he always managed to retaliate using quick offensive strategies despite any sort of onslaught. Despite the rumors of him being a pampered, rich child when we were younger, Jowy was definitely capable of managing things for himself. Out of the two of us, he seemed to be the more tactful but emotional pupil.

Given the thought, Jowy's persistence leaves him blind to many things. Or maybe it's just plain stubbornness. Either way, he always leaves me surprised - his motives given any situation are usually ulterior; completed with purpose. Perhaps he'd devised some sort of plan to escape Rowd's camp - which could have been why he was so eager to let me escape alone.

It almost seems like Jowy's stubbornness lead him to this moment. The fact that he left himself as bait for Rowd...I could have expected a maneuver like that from Viktor. Not Jowy.

In a way, I feel like I should have stayed with him, regardless if he had wanted me to escape or not. I shouldn't have second guessed myself. I'd left because Jowy had wanted me to. Had it been the right decision on my part?

I would get my answer when he showed up. That is, if Luca Blight had spared his life...

* * *

Entering the city outskirts, I gaze up at the sky. Normally, I enjoy sunsets. The one today slightly reminded me of the colour of cat vomit, which wasn't very appealing.

I could see Nanami leaning against the outer left wall of the city, her head bowed. Her hair was covering her face so I couldn't exactly see her expression. She gazes up at me as I approach, her voice forlorn.

"Hey Riou. Jowy's not...Jowy's not back yet."

I say nothing at her statement. She'd already stated the obvious.

"I'm going to wait a little longer for him. Riou, why don't you go back to Leona's and rest? If he comes back, I'll tell you."

I wanted to tell her that Leona was concerned for her as much as I was. We were all concerned. Nanami has this way of trying to make people believe that she's always capable on her own. And that's true to some extent, I mean, she's pretty good at...cooking? Okay, maybe not...*

Grandpa Genkaku's training would be a good example. She was just like Jowy and I, she would spar her heart out when we were younger.

I guess...it was her 'job' to fill the shoes of being my older sister. Over-protectiveness. A desire to be mature about all situations. She's always been that way around Jowy and I. Sometimes it subtly annoys me, but it's a way of knowing that she cares.

"I'll wait with you."

She gives me a small smile.

"That would be nice. It'll seem faster that way…"

I guess the look on my face said otherwise, because she adds warily "No, I guess not…"

She turns to slump onto the grass, her back against the stone wall and her arms hugging her knees.

* * *

After about a good 20 minutes of calm silence, Nanami finally turns to me.

"It's late…..Riou, you should wait at Leona's."

I could tell Nanami seemed rather persistent about me leaving. I wasn't planning on letting her have her way, unfortunately.

"I'm staying with you."

She doesn't say anything after my answer, but bows her head in acknowledgment and slight defeat. We both continue to stare out into the sky, into the wilderness.

As I stand with Nanami, I can't help but try to understand the silence that surrounds us. It's a comforting feeling, nothing awkward. Still, there is tension.

It's a feeling of fear, a feeling of mixed emotion.

A feeling of uncertainty.

* * *

For what seems about an hour, I see Pilika running towards us. Nanami looks shocked for a moment, but pulls herself off the ground to address her.

"Pilika?"

Pilika stares up at us, breathing rather hard after her run - but she doesn't answer.

"Are you okay, Pilika?" Nanami says, with a rather worried tone.

"….Wahhhhhhhh!"

Pilika bursts into tears in front of us. At the sight of this the twinge I had felt in my stomach before feels like a knot. Nanami looks down at Pilika, her brown eyes softening.

"It'll be okay, honey. Jowy will be back."

As Pilika gazes at us, I can see a swarm of emotions - confusion, sadness, and pain intermingled behind her tears. She says nothing, and resumes her gaze downward into the grass. I can't help but feel the same as she does, and I feel the need to reconcile her.

"He'll come back. He promised."

Again, Pilika stares at me with hooded eyes. After a moment, Nanami returns to her seated position. Pilika surprisingly takes a seat beside her, copying Nanami and hugging her legs - her chin resting atop her knees.

There is slight silence before Nanami speaks, addressing me.

"Hey, hey. Do you remember that time you got lost in Lude Woods? While Grandpa Genkaku was out looking for you, Jowy and I waited for you just like this. You came back..."

"And I know Jowy is going to, too." she adds, smiling at Pilika.

After a minute of silence, she looks at me.

"I think you should wait at Leona's after all. You'll catch a cold."

Once again, I dismiss her firmly.

"I'm waiting with you."

Nanami starts to look distressed. "Why won't you ever listen to what your big sister tells you?"

She pauses for a minute, seemingly overcoming her slight distress about me not listening to her."We'll wait a bit longer."

She averts her gaze back to the sky.

"Well, to finish the story...while we were waiting for Riou just like this, do you know what Jowy did? " She stops to chuckle to herself. "He cried the whole time! Can you believe it? Our Jowy, crying just like a little baby…"

Then whispering quietly to Pilika, she adds "Hey, this conversation is our little secret, okay? I promised Jowy that I would never tell a soul…"

I smirk silently at this comment.

* * *

After a while, I gaze over to see Pilika's forehead resting on her knees. She'd fallen asleep.

Nanami gazes at Pilika as well, her body slowly rising and falling with each quiet breath. "Looks like Pilika was pretty tired."

Then, as if scolding Jowy for his absence, she mutters quietly "It's late, Jowy."

Then she turns to me.

"Hey….Riou. You know what I think?...When Jowy comes back, lets go far away from here….."

Far away? At first I think of this as a weird idea. If Jowy were to come back, that would definitely ease our situation a little. That was a personal matter though - Jowy was like a brother to us. Our whole team was assembled at Genkaku Castle - could we just abandon them, abandon the war?

I turn to gaze at Nanami slightly, but she doesn't notice.

Although Nanami is older than me, I can understand her distress from the war - it almost seemed like it'd taken a considerate toll on her with the way she'd been acting lately. It was unfortunate to admit, but from her statement alone - I understood how much Nanami didn't understand what was at stake in the present. She was only considering the well-being of herself, myself and Jowy.

What about everyone else that was fighting this war? Were we to just leave them?

Nanami couldn't understand duty like I did. It was Jowy and myself that had been entrusted with each a half of the Rune of the Beginning, and was almost like a calling for us to take up arms. People believed in us - that we would bring peace and end the war. Bearing this Rune was a right and responsibility. For this reason, I had to fight.

Then again...I don't think I fully understand duty like Nanami does. She was my sister. It was a natural response for her to want to leave with us in tow. I try to think about if it did actually happen. All of us leaving, I mean.

Would we even find peace that way? Would it feel right?

Then suddenly, I see Nanami's face light up. I turn to look down the pathway leading to Muse.

Jowy is standing there, his body bathed in the dying sunlight.

Then he is running, and we're all running at each other at the same time. Nanami reaches him first, then Pilika, both flinging themselves onto him with enveloping hugs. I stand on the side with a smile.

I can hear Jowy's muffled voice underneath the hugging. "Riou...Nanami…you waited for me."

"You came back! You really came back!" Nanami sounds on the verge of tears.

Jowy's voice is soft. "Riou…Nanami...I kept my promise."

I smile at him.

"Welcome home."

Jowy smiles back. "Thanks, Riou…"

He pauses for a slight moment, and his voice slightly cracks. "It's…nice. Having people to wait for you…"

Pilika and Nanami continue to hug Jowy, Pilika too overwhelmed for words it seemed.

"Pilika waited too." Jowy commented, his azure eyes gazing gently into hers. "Thanks."

As I look on at the scene, Jowy fixes his gaze on me for a moment. There is something in his eyes, almost like he's been enlightened by a certain truth; a truth however, that none of us are familiar with. As we continue to lock eyes, I try to figure out why his gaze seems off.

His gaze...speaks as a friend, an opponent and an enemy, from chasms unknown to me - something that almost resembles sadness. Then, I suddenly realize...

Something had changed him since he'd been captured by Rowd. The look on his face alone betrayed him. Something had happened...and perhaps soon, it would be revealed to me exactly what that was.

It was clear to me that Jowy was a changed person.

But aside from that...right now, that was the least of my worries. Jowy was back. That's all that mattered.

As if hearing my thoughts, Nanami breaks the hug, extending her arm to include me. I smile as I approach, wrapping my arms around them. Nanami laughs, and Jowy grins at me.

And it feels like we're in Kyaro again. Like when we were little kids, when we did things without purpose. When we lived for the sake of living.

I realize something important.

Things happen for a reason, whether we understand the consequences or not. We aren't held down by 'fate' - time continues on despite our problems, our situations.

The one thing that we're all tied to is the uncertainty of knowing what will happen to us in the future. Much like what happened with Jowy today, I realize there will always be times where we do not have the power to control the outcome of certain situations.

That's something we all have to live with, work with, and accept.

But maybe...to live with uncertainty is to yield it, and embrace it.

* * *

**Author's Note:** For the next chapter, I'm thinking of doing the "Surprise Attack" scene in the beginning of the game, when Jowy and Riou escape the attack from Luca Blight/Rowd's soldiers.

*Just thought I'd add that in there after reading the fic "Immunity" by Hatsu Yukiya...I died reading it. If you're a Suikoden II fan, you should read it! XD

But anyway - hope you liked the first chapter! Hopefully there will be more soon to follow - although I have no idea when I'll have time for that. Reviews are always welcome! Until the next time, peace!


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